Questions from New Vegans - Animal Rights Zone2024-03-29T14:45:44Zhttps://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&commentId=4715978%3AComment%3A93175&groupId=4715978%3AGroup%3A82387&feed=yes&xn_auth=noJust a quick note to urge new…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-07-24:4715978:Comment:1046292012-07-24T23:53:07.587ZARZone Vegan Buddieshttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/ARZoneVeganBuddies
<p>Just a quick note to urge new mentors or group members to add their comments.</p>
<p>Just a quick note to urge new mentors or group members to add their comments.</p> Hi Natalia, I have never been…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-05-16:4715978:Comment:959802012-05-16T21:03:48.182ZMo Orrhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/MoOrr
<p>Hi Natalia, I have never been much of a cook and buying ready made vegan food is near impossible where I live. Dino's book The Alternative Vegan taught me more about cooking than I have ever known. The recipes are easy to follow and the food is varied. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/0977080420">http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/0977080420</a><br></br> <br></br> <cite>Natalia said:…</cite></p>
<p>Hi Natalia, I have never been much of a cook and buying ready made vegan food is near impossible where I live. Dino's book The Alternative Vegan taught me more about cooking than I have ever known. The recipes are easy to follow and the food is varied. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/0977080420">http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Produce/dp/0977080420</a><br/> <br/> <cite>Natalia said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&#4715978Comment90868"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I haven't been a vegan for that long and I think this is a great idea. I live in Spain, where it is still not too easy being a vegan and I have been thinking of ways to promote veganism, to show people it is not that hard, but it is, if you go to a restaurant that is not vegetarian or vegan there's basically nothing to eat except for maybe potatoes or if you are lucky some grilled veggies, they barely understand the concept a lot of the time.</p>
<p>I am learning how to eat but sometimes am not too sure if I am doing it right and getting everything I need. Especially I would like advice on how to eat using faux meat as little as posible.</p>
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</blockquote> I agree with you, Grace. I th…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-28:4715978:Comment:931752012-04-28T06:17:52.102ZCarolyn Baileyhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/CarolynBailey
<p>I agree with you, Grace. I think it's incredibly important to stay positive on a personal level, and I think there are very few people who can be more inspiring and encouraging than Dr. Tuttle. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I agree with you, Grace. I think it's incredibly important to stay positive on a personal level, and I think there are very few people who can be more inspiring and encouraging than Dr. Tuttle. </p>
<p> </p> As i became more educated and…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-25:4715978:Comment:929092012-04-25T01:59:02.257Zgrace lorrainehttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/gracelorraine
<p>As i became more educated and aware, i seriously wondered: "How am I ever going to live with "normal" people?" Also, really, i wanted to know "What is 'wrong' with PeTA?" And though the World Peace Diet really explains WHY people are so agitated by MY choice to be vegan, I wish i had somebody to discuss with me how to handle the attacks/questions/disinterest of family and friends....</p>
<p>I believe i could have benefitted by mentorship with somebody savvy to vivisection--though i did…</p>
<p>As i became more educated and aware, i seriously wondered: "How am I ever going to live with "normal" people?" Also, really, i wanted to know "What is 'wrong' with PeTA?" And though the World Peace Diet really explains WHY people are so agitated by MY choice to be vegan, I wish i had somebody to discuss with me how to handle the attacks/questions/disinterest of family and friends....</p>
<p>I believe i could have benefitted by mentorship with somebody savvy to vivisection--though i did manage also to go "vegan" in my bathroom, maybe within a few months; it just so happened to be that at that time in my life I had a chance to do lots of reading and pursuing the subject on my own. If I had been in more of a "regular" and "busy" period in my life, I imagine it could have taken me years to adopt the entire lifestyle....</p>
<p>I really appreciate what Linda said : "<span>People talked too often and too much about the problems, but in my experience the lightness of being I've achieved by becoming vegan more than makes up for the problems." Hopefully, I can share some of the JOY and FREEDOM of being vegan. Having heard Will Tuttle numerous presentations, one of my very favorite things he says goes !something! like this:</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span>Let us remember that behind all these "no"s we say--"No, no i don't eat chicken, no, i don't drink cow's milk, no, I don't go to the zoo, no, i don't go fishing, no, I don't wear silk, no, i don't .... There is one REALLY big "YES!" We are saying "Yes!" to Life.</span></p>
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<p><span>We can call it love, peace, any name we want, xxx. But i think it is important for new vegans to feel the truth and power in the statement: "I say 'Yes! to xxx.'"</span></p> Thanks Carolyn,
These are the…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:916042012-04-15T15:47:08.163ZJeanne Kaiserhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/JeanneKaiser
<p>Thanks Carolyn,</p>
<p>These are the hardest things I struggled with 22 years ago when I became vegan. The thing that really helped me through it was that my husband went vegan at the same time I did. Also we found an AR group to join; we went to many protests and mounted lots of campaigns. That helped a lot too, to actually do something. Recently we retired and moved to North Carolina and have started a support and outreach group for vegans, vegetarians and the veg-curious! Your reply…</p>
<p>Thanks Carolyn,</p>
<p>These are the hardest things I struggled with 22 years ago when I became vegan. The thing that really helped me through it was that my husband went vegan at the same time I did. Also we found an AR group to join; we went to many protests and mounted lots of campaigns. That helped a lot too, to actually do something. Recently we retired and moved to North Carolina and have started a support and outreach group for vegans, vegetarians and the veg-curious! Your reply is very much appreciated!</p>
<p>Jeanne</p>
<p></p>
<p>Jea<br/> <br/> <cite>Carolyn Bailey said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&commentId=4715978%3AComment%3A91427&xg_source=msg_com_gr_forum#4715978Comment91504"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Jeanne,</p>
<p>I think that's a really important question. When I first started to live vegan, I found the same problems. I couldn't understand why, once I showed people what I had seen, they were at all hesitant to instantly remove any trace of exploitation and commodification of others from their lives. It just didn't make sense to me. It's a little like the quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian".</p>
<p>It seems to me, that many humans decide what they want and how they will act, and then find any way they can to justify their actions.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is the link to the free downloadable (PDF file) book, <em>Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care</em>, from Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran in which they speak about effective activism, communication tools, and loads more! Below that is also the link to their ARZone podcast from yesterday, in which they speak about similar things.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">I hope they are helpful! :) </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/> <a href="http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/files/Plant_Peace_Daily_Book.pdf" target="_blank">Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://arzonepodcasts.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/arzone-podcast-35-rae-sikora-and-jc.html" target="_blank">ARZone Podcast with Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://arzonepodcasts.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/arzone-podcast-35-rae-sikora-and-jc.html" target="_blank"></a><br/><br/><br/><cite>Jeanne Kaiser said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&commentId=4715978%3AComment%3A91413&xg_source=msg_com_gr_forum#4715978Comment91403"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>How to survive at work and in other social situations. I couldn't wait to tell everyone what was happening to the animals, and was so frustrated when others didn't respond the same way I did. How to handle it when met with the inevitable hostility.</p>
<p>How to stay focused and do what you can and not become so depressed about the animal cruelty.</p>
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</blockquote> Thanks Kay!
tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:915302012-04-15T15:15:11.393ZTim Gierhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/TimGier
<p>Thanks Kay!</p>
<p></p>
<p>Thanks Kay!</p>
<p></p> I struggled with ordering in…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:916012012-04-15T14:48:33.835ZCyndi Rookhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/CynthiaRook
<p>I struggled with ordering in restaurants for a long time and this depended a lot on the quality of the establishment and where we were living. I hated asking questions about soup bases, for instance, and I didn't always trust the answers. I think that for new vegans who frequent restaurants for work situations especially may need extra help. However, what caused me the most angst was learning of the extent of animal testing and by-products in personal care and household products. I was…</p>
<p>I struggled with ordering in restaurants for a long time and this depended a lot on the quality of the establishment and where we were living. I hated asking questions about soup bases, for instance, and I didn't always trust the answers. I think that for new vegans who frequent restaurants for work situations especially may need extra help. However, what caused me the most angst was learning of the extent of animal testing and by-products in personal care and household products. I was shocked and overwhelmed and took lists everywhere I shopped. I began making my own cleaning solutions and obsessed over what company produced the baking soda and vinegar. There are so many more choices now, but not all are available everywhere, and companies change policies and ingredients fairly often. Most omnivores I know are clueless about who dies for their bleach; it seems that cleaning habits are often passed down from one generation to the next and can be as difficult to break as food habits especially given the dirt-chasing mindset most of us grew up with.<br/> <br/> <cite>Mary Martin, PhD said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&#4715978Comment86610"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I agree with Lisa and would send everyone to Vegan for Life. I know far too many vegans who say they don't ever and won't ever use supplements, and that's not often coming from a well-informed place. The nuts and bolts of clothing and personal care and household products are great to know, too. And the various ingredients that people might not think of (gelatin, honey) that aren't obviously non-vegan. There's probably a site or two that already has all of that in one place.</p>
<p>How to order in a restaurant, believe it or not. My husband has been vegan for a handful of years and still struggles with that, which is actually more about other people than about saying, "I don't eat animals. Make me something without animals in it." He'd never say that. I say it all the time if only to get people thinking. Once the content of what to eat, wear, etc. is out of the way, the presentation and the content about Why would be a next step, as it's the people (hence the representation and the content about Why) who make it difficult. I'd also talk about money. Lisa's site is actually great for people who naysay about raw due to money <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.rawon10.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://www.rawon10.blogspot.com/</a> . So sites for inexpensive vegan eating as well as niche-y vegan eats (vegan soul food, for instance), would be great. Sites that show the variety of foods and ways of preparing them so it doesn't all look like salad and bowls of fruit (which is actually about 70% of what I eat, but most people don't want to do that).</p>
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</blockquote> Looking around at all the pro…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:913002012-04-15T14:48:30.986ZKay Sievershttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/KaySievers
<p>Looking around at all the problems in society, and having been disappointed in the effectiveness of other volunteer work with human problems and at an animal shelter, I began to hope that there had to be a root cause that if addressed, would actually make a difference. So I decided to go to the library and begin reading through the Philosophy section. In the "A's" I found Cleveland Amory's book "Man Kind." IT WAS A REVELATION! I started reading everything I could find and realized that…</p>
<p>Looking around at all the problems in society, and having been disappointed in the effectiveness of other volunteer work with human problems and at an animal shelter, I began to hope that there had to be a root cause that if addressed, would actually make a difference. So I decided to go to the library and begin reading through the Philosophy section. In the "A's" I found Cleveland Amory's book "Man Kind." IT WAS A REVELATION! I started reading everything I could find and realized that human society was based on the blood, suffering and use of non-human animals. Here was the basis of all that was wrong with society! Poor health, lack of compassion, indifference to anything that didn't benefit us, destruction of the environment, on and on...all tied to our use and abuse of animals. I went looking for an animal rights group to find some like-minded people. Like others have written, I foolishly thought that once people knew the facts and the truth, they would change. I decided to give 5 years to the movement. Surely that's all it would take. Here it is, 28 years later and I'm still president of an A.R. group and still amazed at the ignorance, indifference and cruelty around me. So to answer the "Ronnie question" in brief, I was concerned with the problems in society but completely ignorant of how animals fit the last piece of the puzzle. Information, the online community, and years of activism have brought the issues to the forefront so hopefully the "hundredth monkey" theory will kick in at some point. Hopefully it won't be too late. </p>
<p> </p>
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<p><cite>Tim Gier said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&commentId=4715978%3AComment%3A91413&xg_source=msg_com_gr_forum#4715978Comment91413"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Hi Kay,<br/><br/>In our ARZone podcasts, we have something that has become known as the "Ronnie Question". Ronnie Lee has been asking each of our podcast guests to recount the story of why and how they had become vegan. In your case, did you become vegan because of the things you read in the library, or do you think that you were bound to become vegan anyway and were just looking for information that would support you on that journey?<br/><br/><cite>Kay Sievers said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&#4715978Comment91280"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I became a vegan 28 years ago. It was purely an ethical decision, reached after months of combing through the library and at that time the concept was considered to be an esoteric cult. I didn't know any vegetarians much less vegans...just what I had read. I think many of the questions I would have asked are the ones that have been posted here, and it surely would have saved a lot of time. </p>
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</blockquote> Hi Jeanne,
I think that's a r…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:915042012-04-15T03:52:47.845ZCarolyn Baileyhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/CarolynBailey
<p>Hi Jeanne,</p>
<p>I think that's a really important question. When I first started to live vegan, I found the same problems. I couldn't understand why, once I showed people what I had seen, they were at all hesitant to instantly remove any trace of exploitation and commodification of others from their lives. It just didn't make sense to me. It's a little like the quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian".</p>
<p>It seems to me, that many humans decide what they want…</p>
<p>Hi Jeanne,</p>
<p>I think that's a really important question. When I first started to live vegan, I found the same problems. I couldn't understand why, once I showed people what I had seen, they were at all hesitant to instantly remove any trace of exploitation and commodification of others from their lives. It just didn't make sense to me. It's a little like the quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian".</p>
<p>It seems to me, that many humans decide what they want and how they will act, and then find any way they can to justify their actions.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is the link to the free downloadable (PDF file) book, <em>Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care</em>, from Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran in which they speak about effective activism, communication tools, and loads more! Below that is also the link to their ARZone podcast from yesterday, in which they speak about similar things.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">I hope they are helpful! :) </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/> <a href="http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/files/Plant_Peace_Daily_Book.pdf" target="_blank">Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://arzonepodcasts.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/arzone-podcast-35-rae-sikora-and-jc.html" target="_blank">ARZone Podcast with Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://arzonepodcasts.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/arzone-podcast-35-rae-sikora-and-jc.html" target="_blank"></a><br/><br/><br/><cite>Jeanne Kaiser said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&commentId=4715978%3AComment%3A91413&xg_source=msg_com_gr_forum#4715978Comment91403"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>How to survive at work and in other social situations. I couldn't wait to tell everyone what was happening to the animals, and was so frustrated when others didn't respond the same way I did. How to handle it when met with the inevitable hostility.</p>
<p>How to stay focused and do what you can and not become so depressed about the animal cruelty.</p>
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</blockquote> Hi Kay,In our ARZone podcasts…tag:arzone.ning.com,2012-04-15:4715978:Comment:914132012-04-15T03:22:02.376ZTim Gierhttps://arzone.ning.com/profile/TimGier
<p>Hi Kay,<br></br><br></br>In our ARZone podcasts, we have something that has become known as the "Ronnie Question". Ronnie Lee has been asking each of our podcast guests to recount the story of why and how they had become vegan. In your case, did you become vegan because of the things you read in the library, or do you think that you were bound to become vegan anyway and were just looking for information that would support you on that journey?<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Kay Sievers said:…</cite></p>
<p>Hi Kay,<br/><br/>In our ARZone podcasts, we have something that has become known as the "Ronnie Question". Ronnie Lee has been asking each of our podcast guests to recount the story of why and how they had become vegan. In your case, did you become vegan because of the things you read in the library, or do you think that you were bound to become vegan anyway and were just looking for information that would support you on that journey?<br/> <br/> <cite>Kay Sievers said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/questions-from-new-vegans?groupUrl=vegan-buddies&#4715978Comment91280"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I became a vegan 28 years ago. It was purely an ethical decision, reached after months of combing through the library and at that time the concept was considered to be an esoteric cult. I didn't know any vegetarians much less vegans...just what I had read. I think many of the questions I would have asked are the ones that have been posted here, and it surely would have saved a lot of time. </p>
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